


Injured

by Inkandquills, writersstudy



Series: Inktober 2019 [29]
Category: 24K (Band)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Kidnapping, Implied/Referenced Torture, Inktober 2019, Just Babies Being Babies, Mentions of Injuries, Sickfic, in ch 2, in the first ch, kiyong has a cold, kiyong is a lil feral
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-08 08:41:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21232964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Inkandquills/pseuds/Inkandquills, https://archiveofourown.org/users/writersstudy/pseuds/writersstudy
Summary: Inktober 2019, Day Twenty-Nine!Prompt: InjuredGroup: 24KPairing: Cory/Kiyong (platonic)A: Kiyong misses his hyung. (Alternately, this is the product of me being sick and missing BNC line.)M: Cory finds another boy in need of saving.[[PLEASE NOTE THAT WE, THE AUTHORS, HAVE NOT GIVEN PERMISSION FOR THIS WORK TO BE RE-POSTED ANYWHERE EXCEPT DIRECTLY ON AO3. IF YOU SEE THIS WORK ANYWHERE ELSE, PLEASE REPORT IT FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT AND NOTIFY US AT LIVING.LENIENTLY@GMAIL.COM. THANK YOU.]]





	1. Ashlee

Things had been weird since everyone left. Kiyong had come into the group expecting a band of brothers and a bit of stability. Instead, they’d had one comeback before everyone disappeared. Suddenly, it was just him and Changsun and two new kids that he didn’t know how to talk to. 

Of all of the older members, the one Kiyong missed working with the most was Cory. He would try to watch the older man’s livestreams and listen to his songs, but it was too much English for him to handle. The only one of them that he knew Cory ever made an effort to keep in contact with was Jeonguk. Granted, Kiyong could text him, but he didn’t know what he would say.

One night, Changsun had taken Imchan and Xiwoo out to a PC bang. Kiyong had stayed home, sick with a head cold. He curled up under the blanket on his bed, scrolling through the fancafe when he got a notification that Cory had started a livestream on Instagram. He clicked on the notification and tucked the blanket tighter around himself. Cory was in the dark of his studio, playing his new song and idly chatting with fans. Kiyong found his chest aching as he continued to watch. 

Maybe it was the slight fever he’d been running, but he suddenly had the untameable urge to go see Cory. He sat up, shivering as the blanket dropped. He was already wearing a heavy sweatshirt, but he reached for a coat as well. It took him a few minutes of searching on his phone to figure out where the studio was, but he didn’t even think twice before heading out as soon as he was sure. 

Kiyong didn’t think twice until he was standing outside of the building. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped into the building. It was late enough that there was no secretary at the desk, so he headed down the hallway, trying to find the studio on his own. 

Fortunately for Kiyong, each studio had the producer’s name on the door. It seemed like Cory was the only one in the building. He hesitated once he found it and knocked on the door instead of just barging in. It felt like forever before the door cracked open and Cory’s head peeked out.

“Kiyong?” he asked, face morphing into one of confusion, “what are you doing here? Where’s Changsun?” Kiyong swayed on his feet, the fever hitting him all at once. Cory reached out to steady him and guided him into the studio, sitting him on the couch. He overheard the older man saying something about needing to go and going live again soon. 

“Kiyongie, is everything okay?” Cory asked, crouching in front of him. A hand pressed to his forehead and the older man’s tongue clicked.

“You’re burning up, kid,” he admonished, “I’m gonna call Changsun to come get you.”

“No!” Kiyong cried, grabbing Cory’s wrist. The older man stared at him in shock. Kiyong had never raised his voice like that before.

“What’s going on?” Cory asked, moving to sit on the couch next to the younger vocalist, “did you two have an argument?” Kiyong shook his head.

“I just miss you,” he said quietly, “everything’s d-different now and I  _ hate _ it. Sunny hyung spends all his time with Xiwoo and Imchan and the company isn’t even letting us do anything and nothing’s the same now and no one’s there and I just  _ hate it _ .” He didn’t even realize he was crying until Cory hugged him tightly. He sobbed into the older man’s shoulder, knowing that the second he let go, Cory would call Changsun and send him home. He whimpered when Cory carefully pushed him away.

“I’m going to let Changsun know that you’re with me,” he said gently, “then we’ll go home and talk, okay?” Kiyong nodded and let himself fall back against the couch. He was exhausted and sick and was starting to regret coming to see Cory. He had interrupted the older man’s interaction with his fans and was making him unnecessarily worried about him. 

“Okay, kid, let’s go,” Cory said, helping Kiyong up off the couch and supporting him with one arm around his waist, “we’ll stop at the drugstore first and get you some medicine, alright?” Kiyong nodded. He’d go along with anything as long as Cory didn’t abandon him again. There was a drugstore on the corner, so they slowly trudged down the darkened street. Cory guided Kiyong around the store, grabbing various medicines and treatments for the nasty cold he’d contracted. They took a cab back to Cory’s new apartment, where he led Kiyong upstairs and immediately shoved him into the shower. The younger boy got lightheaded and sat down, losing track of time. By the time Cory came to check on him, the water was cold. He managed to get Kiyong up, dried, and clothed before settling him on the couch and sticking a thermometer in his mouth.

“You’re more sick than I thought,” he muttered once the device beeped and he read the number, “if your fever doesn’t go down in the next hour or so, I’m taking you to the hospital.” Kiyong didn’t fight it. He felt like shit, so whatever Cory could do to make him feel better was a plan that he could go along with.

“So what’s going on?” Cory asked as he settled at the other end of the couch, “is everything okay? The company treating you okay?” Kiyong just shrugged pitifully.

“They’re treating us how they treat us,” he said, and Cory nodded in understanding, “I don’t know, everything’s just so different now that everyone’s gone. I mean, Changsunny hyung is still there, but he spends all his time making sure the new kids are getting acclimated and adjusting that he’s kinda forgotten I exist. And, you know, you’re out there making music, and Jeonguk hyung is making music, and we’re just sitting on our asses waiting for the company to give us something to do other than practice. It’s like we’re fuckin’ trainees again.”

“Don’t curse,” Cory interjected automatically, earning a weak look from Kiyong.

“It’s been like a year and a half since we’ve gotten to do anything productive, but we aren’t allowed to take time off or visit home or anything either, and none of you guys talk to us anymore,” Kiyong said sadly, “and I know I could reach out too, but I never know what to say. I was barely there before any of you left so I feel like sometimes I’m overestimating the level of friendship we have and that me reaching out would be weird. I like the new kids and I’m glad Changsunny hyung is still there, but it’s really lonely.”

“I’m sorry, Kiyong-ah,” Cory said with a frown, “I didn’t realize you were feeling that way. I can’t speak for Kisu hyung or Sungoh, but I know any of the rest of us wouldn’t mind at all if you reached out or wanted to meet up. We all went through the same bullshit with that company, kid, you’re one of us. And you know if you decide that you ever wanna get out, I’m the first person there supporting you.” Kiyong nodded shyly. He did know that. He knew that Cory was busy and that he did the best he could to still support all the current and past members of 24K.

“I’m just sick,” Kiyong said, wiping under his eyes, “and exhausted. God, I’m gonna regret all this so much when I’m not dying. I’m sorry I bothered you tonight.” 

“No, hey, it’s okay,” Cory said, shaking his head, “I know I’m not technically your leader anymore, but you can still always come to me if you’re having problems. I don’t care how busy I am. I’ll make time for you guys.” Kiyong smiled halfheartedly. He was barely keeping his eyes open now that the cold medicine was kicking in. 

“C’mon, kid, up you go,” Cory said, all but carrying Kiyong to his bedroom. He tucked the half conscious boy into bed and stood up.

“I’ll call your manager and get you excused for tomorrow, okay?” he said, brushing back Kiyong’s sweaty bangs, “get some rest. I’ll be on the couch if you need me.” Kiyong was out like a light before he could even say thank you.


	2. Michelle

Cory waved his hand and watched the clock on the wall slowly tick to a stop. The boy he had found was curled up his couch, fast asleep, cradling his injured hand. With a soft sigh, the older man sank into his chair and pulled himself over to his computer. He had work he needed to get done and he knew the boy could use the rest. 

What should have been several hours later, but in reality wasn’t even a few seconds, Cory pushed himself back from his desk and stood up. He waved his hand again and the clock slowly resumed ticking the seconds by. The boys always made fun of him for keeping an analog clock in his office, but he had his reasons. 

Groaning quietly, Cory lowered himself onto the floor next to the couch and let his fingers gently comb through the boy’s hair. He didn’t know anything about the poor boy, not even a name or how old he was, but that would hopefully change when he woke up. The room was peaceful for a few minutes, but soon he heard the talking and laughing of some of the other boys that lived with him. Despite hearing them coming from a mile away, he still jumped when the door swung open.

“Another one, hyung?” the shorter of the two boys asked loudly as he approached the couch.

“Sh, Sun, you’re gonna wake him up and I would really hate to have to get Jeonguk in here,” Cory scolded quietly, “besides, don’t forget that this was you not all that long ago.” 

The taller boy snickered quietly, but quickly realized he was caught when Changsun whipped around. The older boy growled lowly, a few stray flames dripping dangerously from his fingers. 

“Boys, if you’re going to cause a ruckus can you go bother Jinhong instead?” Cory asked. Neither of the boys were very fond of that idea, which was evident by the fact that they fell quiet rather than leaving. Changsun took a seat in the office chair, entertaining himself by spinning in place, while the taller boy sat down on the floor next to Cory.

“Should I do something for his hand?” he asked quietly.

“Not right now, Seobs. I want him to wake up first,” Cory replied.

“What about your cheek?” the younger boy asked hesitantly. 

Cory sighed and turned his head so Hongseob could reach better. The boy had surprisingly put up quite a bit of a fight. He was a lot stronger than he looked and had left the older man with several scratches up his arm and a deep one down his cheek. Hongseob wordlessly raised his hand to Cory’s cheek and let it lay across the length of the long scratch. Cory winced as the cut healed much faster than it would have naturally. A few moments later, Hongseob pulled his hand away to reveal completely unmarred skin. The pain was the one downside of having Hongseob heal him, but it eliminated the risk of infection and left any injuries as healthy as they were before they were damaged.

“You would think you sicked Kisu hyung on him,” Changsun commented as he spun around again.

“That would have certainly made my life easier,” the eldest said tiredly. He was surprised that the boy had fallen asleep at all, but it would have been better for both of them if it happened much sooner. 

“Have you been able to...?” Hongseob trailed off. He knew it was risky to bring up the older man considering how little contact they had had with him over the past few months.

Cory shook his head. “The last time I talked to him was a month or so ago. He had found Sungoh, but he wasn’t able to rescue him,” he said regretfully. He didn’t like to let his emotions slip through, especially to the younger boys, but the hurt was clear in his voice. He missed his oldest friend and would be out searching for him now if he didn’t have four, now five, boys to take care of. 

Hongseob fell quiet and twirled his thumbs together. He didn’t know Kisu nearly as well as Cory did, but his absence still stung. Trying to push the thought of the missing man from his mind, he focused on the boy laying on the couch. His hair was a lighter brown with what looked to be hints of faded orange. It was almost like the color of a deer’s fur in the strong summer sun. Hongseob couldn’t help but smile as he took in the boy’s rounded cheeks. It gave him a childish innocence that would hopefully remain when he woke up. Despite being curled up into a ball, it was obvious that the boy was relatively tall, which gave him away as being a bit older than he appeared. Of course the room wasn’t silent for long with Changsun’s eyes finally landing on a new target.

“Hey, hyung, do you think the new kid will finally tip the scales and convince you to get a digital clock for in here?” he asked, only half joking.

Cory sighed and rolled his eyes. “For the last time, Changsun, I’m not getting a new clock. That one has sentimental value and it’s staying right there. What do you have against the clock anyway? Hm?” he countered. While it was true that the clock held sentimental value, it didn’t hold any more power than that.

“It’s so outdated. It really shows your age,” Changsun retorted.

“Sun, I think it’s time you get going,” Cory said, derailing the conversation. The boy had begun to stir and the less people in the room the better.

“Aw, hyung, you know I’m just messing with you,” Changsun said with a pout. He finally stopped himself from spinning so he could face the couch.

“I’m not worried about the clock, Sun,” Cory said as he pulled himself to his feet, “he’s waking up and I want as few people in here as possible.” 

Changsun stood up from his chair and leaned around Cory so he could get a good look at the boy. Hongseob quickly stood as well and took a few steps back from the couch. Not another moment later the boy whined quietly and pulled his hand closer to his chest. Changsun’s eyes widened and he quickly slipped from the room, whispering a “be careful” to Hongseob on his way out. The boy’s eyes flew open the moment the door closed behind Changsun. He took one look at Cory before sitting bolt upright. 

“It’s alright. We’re not going to hurt you,” Cory said soothingly. He took a small step towards the couch, but froze when the boy growled.

“Does he speak?” Hongseob asked quietly. The boy snapped his head in the direction of the new voice and stared the slightly older boy down. Hongseob stayed rooted in place and snuck a quick glance at Cory, not wanting to take his eyes off of the boy for long. 

Upon realizing he was surrounded, the boy quickly pushed himself off of the couch and stood in front of it. His eyes were wide with fear and they flicked back and forth between the two men in front of him. He was taller than previously anticipated, standing about the same height as Hongseob even though he was barefoot. Hongseob didn’t need an answer to his question and instead took a few more steps away from the couch, unintentionally revealing the door to the boy. When the boy’s eyes landed on Cory again, the older man took a small step towards him, hand outstretched.

“We don’t want to hurt you; we want to help,” he whispered. The boy took this opportunity to sprint for the door. Cory reached out to grab him, but he easily slipped past. The boy leapt towards the door, but Hongseob had realized his mistake and quickly stepped in front of him. The boy wasn't able to change his trajectory fast enough and slammed into to him, sending the pair tumbling to the floor. Growling in frustration, the boy scrambled to push himself back up, but he didn’t get very far before Hongseob grabbed ahold of his injured hand. He yowled in pain and yanked his hand away, not noticing Cory coming up behind him.

“Hyung, don’t!” Hongseob cried, but it was too late. The older man wrapped his arms around the boy’s waist and pulled him away. This only caused the boy to scream louder. He threw his elbow back and landed a well placed jab to Cory’s stomach. The man’s grip loosened just enough where the boy could slip free and spin around. He wasted no time sinking his teeth into the soft skin of Cory’s forearm. Meanwhile, Hongseob had pulled himself up from the floor and rushed over. He pulled the boy back and grabbed onto his hand again, keeping a firm grip around his waist with his free hand so he couldn’t escape again. Suddenly, Cory collapsed to the ground, face ghostly white.

“Hyung? Hyung!” Hongseob called, but Cory couldn’t answer. His eyes had glazed over and his breathing was shallow.

“Changsun hyung!” Hongseob cried. He knew the older boy wouldn’t have gone far, and he was right. Not more than a few seconds later, Changsun had burst through the door. The boy tried to pull himself free of Hongseob’s grasp, but the older boy only tightened his grip on his injured hand. The boy whimpered and crumpled to the floor. Hongseob lowered himself to the floor with the boy and held him close, not healing his hand quite yet. Changsun rushed over to Cory and knelt down in front of the older man. No amount of shaking or shouting could get the older man to respond.

“I’m going to get Jeonguk hyung,” Changsun mumbled. He quickly ran from the room, making sure the door was shut behind him and took off down the hallway, hoping he could find who he was looking for quickly. Hongseob was panting heavily and had his eyes glued on Cory. The boy whimpered pitifully and struggled to stand, but didn’t have the energy to. Finally giving up, he slumped against Hongseob and whined quietly. Out of the corner of his eye Hongseob could have sworn he saw tears beginning to gather in the corner of the boy’s eyes. Despite knowing the boy wouldn’t be able to hurt him or escape again, he was scared to unwrap his free arm from around the boy’s middle. Hongseob was absolutely terrified; he couldn’t quell his shaking hands, and he didn’t try. Nothing like this had happened before and he didn’t want to think what could happen to Cory. He had no idea what sort of powers the boy held, but they were obviously very dangerous if they rendered Cory completely incapacitated so quickly. Shaking his head he tried to push those thoughts from his head; for now he just hoped Changsun found Jeonguk quickly.

“Can you reverse this?” Hongseob asked quietly after a minute. True to his expectations, the boy simply growled quietly in response. 

They waited in silence while Cory’s breathing gradually grew more labored. Hongseob was close to panicking, but he had to force himself to keep his composure; lest his hold on the boy waver and he escaped. What felt like an eternity later, Jeonguk burst into the room closely followed by Changsun. Changsun stood out of the way, his mouth pressed into a hard line, which was very uncharacteristic for him. Jeonguk knelt down next to Cory and checked his pulse.

“You’re lucky he’s still alive,” he growled without turning around. The boy fought against Hongseob, but was too weak to make much headway. 

“You need to fix this right now or you’re going to regret being brought here,” Jeonguk said darkly, finally spinning around. He hauled the boy to his feet, effectively pulling Hongseob with him.

“Seob, you can let go now,” Jeonguk said flatly.

“No, hyung, please. He’s scared and I know he can reverse this. Don’t yell at him, you’re only going to make it worse. If I let go he’s going to attack you the moment he gets his strength back. Don’t do this,” Hongseob begged. 

“Changsun-ah, get him off please,” Jeonguk ordered.

“I’m sorry, Seobie,” Changsun whispered. He placed his hands on Hongseob’s forearm, singeing the exposed skin. The younger boy hissed in pain, but his grip slipped enough for Changsun to pull him away from the boy. 

“No, no!” Hongseob cried, fighting against Changsun, “hyung, you’re going to make it worse. Cory hyung is going to die if we aren’t careful! Please, please, don’t do this.” Judging by how the boy’s eyes widened halfway through the sentence, Hongseob knew he had been muted.

“I’m going to give you one chance,” Jeonguk growled, “you need to fix him. Now.”

The boy looked fearfully between the man that was yelling at him and the younger man that had defended him. Despite looking like he was talking, the younger man wasn’t making any sounds. It was terrifying and before he could stop them, there were tears rolling down his cheeks.

“We don’t have time for you to cry,” Jeonguk barked. Suddenly, the boy was being shoved to his knees next to the man he had rendered nearly comatose. Something cold pressed against the back of his head and he didn’t need to turn around to know what it was. He sobbed harder, hands shaking uncontrollably. 

“I’m not going to ask again,” Jeonguk said darkly. The boy immediately pressed his uninjured hand to the wound on the unconscious man’s arm. The skin slowly began to mend itself until nothing but a dark scar remained. Once the greenish bruising had faded away, the man’s breathing slowly began to stabilize. He watched the color slowly return to the man’s face and yelped in surprise when he was suddenly shoved to the side. Instinctively, he stuck out his hand to catch himself and cried out in pain as his injured hand jammed into the floor at a weird angle.

“How long until he’s okay?” Jeonguk asked, face mere millimeters away from the boy’s. The boy shook his head quickly; he really didn’t know how long it would take the man to fully recover. With a quiet roar, Jeonguk pulled himself to his feet. 

“Changsun-ah, help me get Cory hyung somewhere safe,” he ordered. Changsun released Hongseob so he could help Jeonguk and the two men carried a still unconscious Cory from the room. Once the door had closed behind them, the boy burst into tears again, cradling his throbbing hand to his chest. Hongseob debated what he should do while the boy slowly cried himself out. He waited a few moments after he was done before slowly walking over. 

“I can help you, but it’s going to hurt,” Hongseob warned. The boy was surprised when he could hear him again, but was in too much pain to question what had happened. He bared his teeth and growled lowly, although it wasn't very threatening considering how terrified and exhausted he was. 

“Hey, it's okay. I'm not like him, I promise. I know you can't hurt me right now so please let me help you,” Hongseob said quietly. The boy hung his head, knowing it was true that he wouldn’t be able to fight his way out. Hongseob knelt down next to him and took his injured hand in his own, before starting to heal it. Despite his best effort, the boy wasn’t able to hide the pitiful whines that escaped his lips as his hand slowly healed. Hongseob had to concentrate harder than usual. Several of the delicate bones in the boy’s hand were broken and he couldn’t risk healing them improperly. By the time the bones had been repaired, the tendons no longer strained, and the swelling taken away, Hongseob was exhausted. He tried to push himself up from the floor, but it was no use, so he scooted himself backwards to lean against the couch. Through sweaty bangs he watched the boy test out his hand. The boy sniffed loudly, but it seemed like his hand was in complete working order again. 

“Thank you for saving Cory hyung,” Hongseob whispered after a moment. The boy jumped out of his skin and scurried backwards. He hugged his knees to his chest before nodding slowly. Hongseob studied the boy closely; now that he was awake it was easier to see more of his features. He had deep brown eyes that held a childish curiosity buried beneath a clear layer of fear. There was a dark scar running down the back of his neck towards his back, disappearing under the collar of his shirt.

“My name is Hongseob, although no one around here really calls me that. Do you have a name?” Hongseob asked after another few minutes. He didn’t expect the boy to be very communicative, but it would be at least nice to have something else to call him. The boy nodded again.

“What is it?” Hongseob prompted. At this point, he wasn’t even sure the boy could speak, but he wanted to try regardless. Not surprisingly the boy didn’t answer. Hongseob sighed sadly. He decided to recover a few more minutes before seeing if the boy had any other injuries.

“Can I come closer?” he asked when the boy was completely calmed down. The boy didn’t respond, and Hongseob waited a moment to see what he would do. When he didn’t move, Hongseob took it upon himself to scoot across the floor. The boy looked up at him and pushed himself backwards quickly. He whined when he hit the couch.

“I just want to see if you have any other injuries,” Hongseob explained, “if you take your sweatshirt off I can check quick and then leave you alone.”

The boy whined quietly and gripped onto his sweatshirt tightly. He didn't have any other clothes and he couldn't afford for it to get taken by this boy who was pretending to be nice to him.

“What about if you just push the sleeves up so I can look at your arms?” Hongseob suggested quietly. 

The boy paused for a moment before rolling his sleeves up. He set a hesitant eye on Hongseob as the older boy slid closer. Hongseob frowned when he took in the multitude of scratches, some still bleeding, adorning both of the boy’s arms. He silently began to heal them, starting with the deepest ones. The boy whimpered quietly, but remained stock still. At one point, Hongseob had to rest for a moment before continuing, which was when he noticed an old scar in the middle of the boy’s left forearm. Upon closer inspection, he realized that it was a word. Squinting a bit, he made it out to be a name but struggled to read it. 

“Ki-yong?” Hongseob said uncertainly, “is this…is this your name?” His thumb brushed over the scar gently. He couldn't imagine how long ago the boy had gotten it. 

The boy pulled his arm away and yanked his sleeve down. He nodded slowly, still not raising his eyes from the floor. 

“That’s a nice name,” Hongseob said quietly. Suddenly there was a knock on the door. The boy’s head shot up and he whimpered as he scrambled away. 

“Seobs, Jeonguk hyung wants you,” Changsun said, poking his head into the room. Hongseob nodded and pulled himself to his feet. 

“I’ll be back soon with some food and water and I’ll take you somewhere more comfortable,” Hongseob promised sincerely. Kiyong looked up at him, the small glimmer of hope in his eyes overshadowed by mistrust. With one last look over his shoulder, Hongseob regretfully left the room, locking the door behind him, and followed Changsun down the hallway. 

“You...you didn't fix your arm,” Changsun said nervously when he noticed the blistering skin on Hongseob’s forearm. Hongseob looked down and frowned almost like he had forgotten his arm was burned. 

“I was busy healing Kiyong,” he mumbled, placing his hand over the burn. 

“Kiyong? You gave him a name?” Changsun asked with a raised eyebrow. 

Hongseob shook his head. “That is his name,” he said. He winced as the burn healed and pulled his hand away to reveal perfectly smooth skin. Their conversation ended when they pushed open the door to the meeting room to find Jeonguk standing at the head of the table scowling and Jinhong seated in one of the chairs with a frown on his face. 

“Thank you, Changsun-ah,” Jeonguk said when he saw the two boys, “have a seat. We’re trying to figure out what to do with the boy.”

“His name’s Kiyong,” Hongseob said quietly as he sat down across from Jinhong. Changsun took the seat next to him. 

“He told you his name?” Jeonguk asked incredulously. 

“No, no. It was branded onto his arm. Those people must have had him, but the scar’s so old that I can’t imagine how young he was when he got it,” Hongseob rambled until he was cut off. 

“You can't go getting attached, Hongseob-ah,” Jeonguk said, not hiding the frustration in his voice, “we’re trying to figure out how to get rid of him not get to know him better.” 

“Get rid of him? You can't do that!” Hongseob exclaimed. 

“He’s dangerous, Seobie,” Jinhong said gently. 

“He’s just scared, terrified really. He didn't try to hurt me the whole time I was in there alone with him,” Hongseob explained. 

“He nearly killed Cory hyung. That counts as dangerous in my book,” Jinhong said. 

“How can you be on his side? We barely know anything about Kiyong and you two are already to throw him away. If those people get him again it could mean the end of all of us,” Hongseob said desperately. 

“This isn't about sides. This is about keeping all of us safe and fighting to get Sungoh hyung and Kisu hyung back,” Jeonguk snapped. 

“I think we need to wait until Cory hyung is feeling better to make a decision,” Changsun piped up cautiously. Jinhong nodded in agreement. 

“Fine,” Jeonguk growled, “but Hongseob-ah I’m warning you now, if you get attached that's your own fault. And if you get hurt I might not have any sympathy.” 

Hongseob glared at the older man, but didn't say anything. He pushed himself up from his chair and stormed out of the room. Ignoring Changsun’s call of his name, he headed back to the room Kiyong was locked in. He practically raced through the facility and through open the door to Cory’s office, causing poor Kiyong to nearly jump out of his skin. The boy leapt to his feet and backed up so he was standing behind the couch

“I’m sorry to scare you,” Hongseob said apologetically, “I promised to bring you somewhere more comfortable and I’ll get you some food and water when we get there. Does that sound okay?” Kiyong nodded but didn't move from behind the couch. 

“You have to promise me you won't try to run. Jeonguk hyung won't be very forgiving if he catches you,” Hongseob warned as gently as he could. At the mention of the older man’s name, Kiyong’s hand began to quiver and he gripped onto the back of the couch tightly. 

“It's okay. I’m not gonna let anything happen to you,” Hongseob assured, “I’m gonna bring you to my room and we’ll get you some new clothes too. I promise we won't see anyone else on our way over.” He took a few steps back, revealing the door to Kiyong. The boy gradually loosened his grip on the couch and walked over to Hongseob. Hongseob smiled softly and opened the door. He still half expected Kiyong to bolt, but the boy stopped and stared into the hallway. 

“It's okay. You can go,” he said. Kiyong shook his head and took a step back. Hongseob furrowed his eyebrows and watched the boy curiously. 

“Do you want me to go first?” he asked after a moment. Kiyong nodded and Hongseob immediately began to panic. If he had his back to the boy, it left him much more vulnerable to be attacked. But after everything that had happened, he was sure that Kiyong wouldn't hurt him. 

“Alright, let's go,” he said, swallowing his nerves and hoping his intuition was right. Kiyong fell into step behind him, almost a little too closely. At one point, he stepped on the back of Hongseob’s shoe and let out a pitiful whine. 

“It's okay, Kiyongie, it was an accident,” Hongseob assured. The boy was more skittish than he anticipated, jumping every time there was a noise or he caught the glimpse of a new shadow out of the corner of his eye. Attacking Cory was most certainly in self defense, and Hongseob found that by the time they reached his room he wasn't nearly as afraid of Kiyong as he was that morning. 

“Here we are,” he announced as he swung the door open and stepped inside. He closed and locked the door behind them so none of the other boys would bother them. 

“First things first, you need food and water,” Hongseob said. He snagged a water bottle out of the fridge and rifled through his bottom desk drawer for a granola bar. Kiyong immediately stopped surveying the room when the food and drink was handed to him. He downed half of the water bottle in one go before realizing he might not get another. Deciding to save it for later, he munched as slowly as he could on the granola bar, but couldn't help himself from finishing it. 

“Do you want another one?” Hongseob asked. Kiyong nodded eagerly, cheeks bulging as he chewed on the last bite. Hongseob grabbed another granola bar and handed it over. He watched Kiyong for a moment before turning to his dresser. The boy was really adorable and Hongseob found himself smiling softly. He grabbed an old pair of sweatpants and a long sleeve, grateful that they were both around the same height. When he turned back around the rest of the water and the second granola bar were gone and Kiyong had a sad look on his face. 

“I don't want to give you anymore food just yet, but do you want some more water?” Hongseob asked. Kiyong gave him a pleading look and nodded. Hongseob grabbed another water bottle and switched it for the empty bottle and wrappers. The boy took much smaller sips this time and didn't quite finish all of it. 

“You’re probably going to want to take a shower before you get changed,” Hongseob commented. Kiyong tilted his head and stared at Hongseob curiously.

“Here, follow me and you can leave the water on the desk,” Hongseob said. He turned to walk towards the bathroom just as Kiyong held the bottle a little closer to his chest. 

“You can bring it into the bathroom if you want, and it’ll be there when you get out,” Hongseob promised. Kiyong relaxed a little bit, but didn't put the bottle down. He followed Hongseob into the bathroom and looked around with wide eyes before stepping in. Hongseob put the clothes on the counter and turned the shower on. Kiyong jumped a mile when water suddenly erupted from the shower head and backed up against the opposite wall. He watched the spray with wide eyes waiting for something to happen. 

“Easy, Kiyongie, it’s just water,” Hongseob said soothingly, “it won't hurt you. See?” He stuck his own hand under the spray, letting the water run off his fingers. “Come try it.”

Kiyong slowly walked across the room, still holding the bottle tightly. Slowly, he reached one hand out and touched the water with his fingertips; it felt just like it did when it rained. Getting braver, he stuck his whole hand in and held it next to Hongseob’s. Hongseob smiled happily and wiggled his fingers, watching as Kiyong copied him. They stood there for a few minutes while Kiyong got used to the water. 

“Alright, that bottle is shampoo,” Hongseob said, pointing to a blue bottle in the back corner, “and this is body wash.” He pointed to a gray bottle sitting on the rack. Kiyong just stared at the bottles with a confused look on his face. It finally dawned on Hongseob that Kiyong may never have taken a proper shower before. He wondered how the boy stayed cleaned considering he wasn't all that dirty. 

“That one is for your hair and this one is to clean your body,” Hongseob explained. Kiyong relaxed and looked between the bottles again.

“Alright, you can get in whenever you want ,” Hongseob said. He pulled his hand out from under the water and dried it on a towel. Kiyong stared at the water and hesitantly lifted his leg to step over the edge. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Hongseob said quickly, “you have to take your clothes off first.” Kiyong ripped his hand out from under the water and jumped back, knocking into the counter. He whimpered quietly and wrapped his arms around himself, one hand fisting itself in his sweatshirt and the other still clinging tightly onto the water bottle. 

“It’s okay. You’re okay,” Hongseob said soothingly, “I’m sorry I didn’t mean to scare you, but you can’t wear your clothes in the shower.” Kiyong looked at him nervously and backed away a few steps.

“I’m not gonna take your clothes, but I am gonna get you some new ones so we can wash these,” Hongseob explained, “you can put the bottle on the counter too and I promise I won’t move it anywhere. And none of the others are going to come in here.” That seemed to help assure Kiyong and he put the water bottle down on the vanity. Slowly, he pulled off his sweatshirt and stepped out of his pants, leaving them in a crumpled pile on the floor. Hongseob winced internally. Kiyong’s torso and legs were riddled with scratches, much like the ones that were on his arms, and a few dark bruises. The boy was also incredibly skinny and Hongseob had no idea how long it had been since he had had a real meal. Hongseob turned his attention back to the shower to make sure it wasn’t too hot and motioned Kiyong over.

“Remember that one’s for your hair and that one’s for your body,” he said, pointing out the bottles again, “you can go ahead and get in. I’m just gonna grab you some new clothes.” Kiyong hesitantly walked over to Hongseob and stepped into the shower. Once the older boy was sure he was okay, he drew the curtain and walked back out into his bedroom. He was glad Kiyong was about the same height as he was because that meant his clothes would fit the boy and he wouldn’t have to worry about trying to find an outfit for him. Hongseob grabbed an older pair of sweatpants, a long sleeve, and some socks and brought them back into the bathroom to put on the vanity where Kiyong would see them when he got out. He grabbed the boy’s soiled clothes from the floor, folded them, but didn’t dare move them. He had promised the clothes would still be there and he didn’t want Kiyong to freak out if they were missing. When there was nothing else to do, he sat on his bed and leaned up against the wall, scrolling through his phone to pass the time. Not much later, the door to the bathroom opened. Hongseob looked up and chuckled at the site in front of him; Kiyong was wrapped in the biggest towel he had, hair still completely lathered in shampoo. 

“You gotta rinse that out,” Hongseob said, pushing himself up from the bed. Kiyong furrowed his eyebrows and watched the older boy curiously.

“Come on, I’ll help you,” Hongseob said. He guided Kiyong back over to the shower and took the towel off of his shoulders before helping him back in. It was hard to rinse Kiyong’s hair out without getting soaked himself, but Hongseob did the best he could. He had to admit it was a little old helping Kiyong wash out his hair; it almost felt like he was giving an animal a bath. Eventually, Kiyong was completely clean. Hongseob shut off the water and handed the boy back the towel. 

“You can wear these for now,” he said, pointing at his clothes on the vanity, “I want to wash these before you wear them again. Is it okay if I take them for now and I promise I’ll give them back later?” Kiyong’s eyes darted between the clean clothes on the counter and his clothes on the floor. As long as he had something to wear, he was happy. It was more than he usually had most of the time. He looked back up at Hongseob and nodded slowly. Hongseob smiled and grabbed the dirty clothes from the floor.

“Alright, you get changed and meet me back in the room,” he said. He left the bathroom, closing the door behind him. He threw Kiyong’s clothes into his hamper and snagged his phone off of his bed. Kiyong emerged from the bathroom a few minutes later, much cleaner and definitely more comfortable, and clinging onto the water bottle again that was almost empty now. His rusty hair looked much darker since it was still wet.

“You’re probably exhausted,” Hongseob commented. Kiyong nodded and rubbed at his eyes with the back of the hand not holding the water bottle.

“Here’s a new bottle,” Hongseob said, grabbing another water bottle and placing it on the end table next to his bed. “You can sleep here tonight,” he gestured toward the bed, “and hopefully we’ll be able to get you your own room soon. You know where the bathroom is and obviously grab as much water as you need although there’s not many bottles left. There’s some more granola bars too, and I promise I’ll get you some real food in the morning.” Kiyong looked nervously between Hongseob and the bed, but didn’t move to get in.

“It’s okay,” Hongseob assured, “it’s comfortable I promise.” He sat on the edge of the bed to show Kiyong he had nothing to be scared of. Kiyong shook his head and pointed at Hongseob and then pointed at the bed.

“Oh, no, I’m gonna sleep in the chair,” Hongseob said, pointing to the lounge chair in the corner. He loved having a huge room. It meant he had room for a table with a small TV and an extra chair, which had made it very handy when he first came and Changsun has spent the week with him to make sure he adjusted okay. Kiyong whined quietly, but walked over to the bed regardless. He put the water bottle down next to the new one and slowly climbed onto the bed.

“You can lay under the covers,” Hongseob said. He helped pull the sheets down and watched Kiyong crawl under them with a fond smile. When Kiyong finally settled down, he let out a quiet sigh.

“Night, Kiyongie,” Hongseob whispered. He grabbed an extra blanket from his closet and climbed into the chair. Hongseob was absolutely exhausted from the day and was quickly on his way to falling asleep. Despite being half asleep he didn’t miss the indistinguishable whisper of a “thank you” that came from the direction of his bed. Up until this point he wasn’t even entirely sure that Kiyong could talk, but he was proven wrong. A small smile pulled at his lips as he drifted off to sleep. Maybe everything was gonna be okay.


End file.
